Days of the Mün
by Ianare
Summary: It all began with a thirty-six kilometre hop. Jeb, Bill and Bob's pioneering flight aboard Kerbal 1 sparked the imagination of a planet and marked the beginning of the Space Age on Kerbin. The first artificial satellites were next, followed by crewed orbital flights and the first robotic probes to the Mün and beyond. Then came the Pioneer Program...
1. Chapter 1

Watching Bob's team strap the _Pioneer 3_ crew into their couches was a pointed reminder of how far we'd come - and how far we still had to go.

And I know I've already covered all of this but I think it only really sank in that afternoon. Founding the Kerbin Interplanetary Society. The long years of sounding rockets and struggles, trying to build something - anything - large enough to fit a crew capsule on. _Kerbal 1_ and Bill's photographs that set the world on fire. Orbital flight, the so-called Space Race (and I still loathe _that_ media creation with a passion) with Rockomax. The CORDS programme and what came afterwards.

Then came the Kerm crisis. We launched the day after the news broke.

The _Pioneer 1_ crew ventured a thousand times further into space than anyone else before them. They circled the Mün and became the first kerbals in history to watch Kerbin rising over a new horizon.

 _Pioneer 2_ may have been less obviously impressive to the kerbal on the street but it was the vital next step. We flight-tested the entire Pioneer spacecraft from lander to capsule and back again. Between them, the crew managed to simulate almost every part of a Munar landing without ever going near the actual Mün.

That would be a job for _Pioneer 3._

 _\- Jebediah Kerman: KIS - a History of Kerballed Spaceflight._


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 1 - Outward Bound**

Tinny music rattled around the Rockomax Mission Control room as Nelton watched the bouncing, swaying figures on the main screen with an equal mix of amusement and exasperation. The irritatingly chirpy blend of drums and synthesisers faded briefly, spiked to a loud and sudden peak and then cut out. One of the figures struck a dramatic, if cramped, one-handed pose, his other hand still firmly clamped around the frame of his acceleration couch.

"Yeahhh! Flyin' to the Mün - and poppin' some moves!"

Nelton rolled her eyes. "Copy that, Pioneer. Be advised; Guidance and FD concur that your slang is approximately 6.53 years out of date."

"So just about ready to come back round again, Flight," grinned Kerke. "We're not behind the times - we're leadin' the times!"

"The good commander begs to differ," said Seanan. He panned his hand-held camera round and zoomed in on a very familiar face. The slap of palm on forehead echoed through the capsule.

"Guys - what in the first Kerm is... correction, _how_ in the first Kerm did you…"

"Personal effects, Flight," said Barrie happily. "No weight limits breached and there's nothing like a mascot for luck. So what better mascot than..."

Seanan recognised his cue. The image on Nelton's screen zoomed back to reveal a small bobble-head doll attached to the main control panel by a patch of fabric. It seemed to be shaking it's head at Kerke's pose.

"Commander Kerbiman - "Kerb" - Kerman! Hero of Duna!"

Nelton groaned. "I've got a commander who's six years behind the times, a scientist who believes in lucky mascots.."

"For sound psychological reasons, Flight, " said Barrie blandly.

Nelton ignored the interruption. "Do I want to know what my landing module pilot has in store for us?"

Seanan's eyes flicked to the cardboard tube stashed under Barrie's couch. "Nothing to report, Flight, " he said equably. "One boring, by-the-book kerbonaut here."

"Well thank the Kerm for small mercies," muttered Nelton. "Okay you lot, the book is telling me that we've got a platform alignment check to make and an MOI burn to set up, not to mention a set of environmental system checks to run. Back in your seats team - playtime is over."

Kerke swung himself onto his couch and reached for his waist restraints. "Copy that, Flight," he said crisply. He glanced sideways at Barrie, who was strapping herself in at the navigation station. "All crew secured, cancelling thermal control roll...now." 

* * *

"Okay, Flight, give me a check on the SME gimbal settings please."

"Plus point five zero pitch by minus point one eight yaw, Pioneer."

Seanan scanned his instruments. "Confirmed. Thanks, Flight."

Kerke flipped over a page on his flight plan. "And we abort on red-line chamber overpressure, black-line underpressure, excess tank delta-P or sustained off-nominal pressure drop in either tank. Proceed with engine shutdown and mode-2 abort at MOI plus fifteen, course corrections to follow on instructions at periapsis plus two hours."

"Down cold, Pioneer. Nerves kicking in?"

Kerke stared at the engine control panel. "That's affirmative, Flight. We're a long way from home right now."

"We got you out there, we'll get you back, Pioneer. Two minutes to loss of signal."

"It's pitch black out there, Kerke," Barrie offered quietly. "And it went black at the right time. We're driving straight down the road."

Seanan swallowed hard and turned his head towards the window. He sensed the vast dark bulk beneath them, a looming presence against the star-studded depths, blocking out the reassuring light from Kerbol.

 _Shadow of the Mün - we're in the shadow of the Mün…_

Mission Control interrupted his thoughts. "Thirty seconds to loss of signal. All systems Go, Pioneer. Good luck."

"See you on the other side, Flight."

Kerke held up a hand, fingers outstretched, eyes fixed on the flight clock, counting down the seconds on his fingers. Just as he clenched his fist, the radio crackled, static hissing loudly from the speaker. He breathed a muted sigh of relief, clicked off the radio and sat up a little straighter from his couch. "Straight down the road indeed. Lets get to it."

Seanan checked and rechecked his instruments, fingers gripping the edge of the control panel tightly. _Burn program loaded, SAS in AUTO, tank pressures nominal_. Across the capsule he heard Barrie murmuring to herself, checking off the items on her own memorised checklist. He glanced at a set of indicator lights. _Valve controllers and gimbal motors drawing power_.

"Platform reference set for MOI. Attitude is green, autopilot is good." Barrie's voice rang across the capsule, making Seanan jump. He unpeeled his fingers from the control panel, doing his best to hide the tremor in his voice.

"SME is Go, guys. Engineering station strapped in for burn."

"Navigation strapped in."

Kerke nodded. "Four minutes to ignition. Proceed at sixty seconds, Seanan."

The seconds crawled past. A blue light began to flash on Seanan's panel and unhesitatingly, he leaned forward and pushed a single button. All three kerbonauts watched the flight clock intently; Kerke uncaging the manual ignition button, hand hovering over it as they waited.

"Ten seconds."

"Five...four...three...two..."

"One."

The service module engine lit, pushing Seanan back onto and then firmly into, his couch. "Uhh - getting some transients here. Going to secondary... no hold that, we're good. Pressures coming up...okay coming up nicely now."

"Delta-P?" asked Kerke sharply.

"Spiked for a second but balancing," said Seanan. "Chamber pressure back between the lines and holding."

Kerke nodded tersely, eyes focused on his instruments. Grey light spilled through the capsule window, throwing unseen shadows across his chest. Beside him, Seanan and Barrie were breathing heavily, unaccustomed to their sudden weight after over three days in free-fall.

"Chamber pressure... holding. Propellant levels are good."

Kerke reached for the engine shutdown button. "Thirty seconds to go. Twenty..."

The service module engine roared silently in the vacuum.

"Three...two...one..."

"Shutdown!"

Barrie's fingers raced over her computer keyboard. "Delta-v is low but we have an orbit! One-eleven by three-five-five!"

"And thank the Kerm for that." Seanan mopped his forehead with his flight suit sleeve. "Thought we were in trouble there for a minute."

Barrie shook her head. "One hundred and eleven kilometres away after travelling over four hundred thousand kilometres to get here. I thought Pioneer 1 was cutting it close but...Kerm, the trajectory team are on their game today."

Kerke grimaced. "Apoapsis is high. Not surprising after that burn but we'll need to compensate at circularisation."

"Shouldn't be a problem," said Barrie, "We've got the fuel for it. I can compute a correction burn if you like but I imagine Mission Control will want to run the numbers themselves. All the important burns are farside on this flight. Works for me - we get a chance to fix any screw-ups before Nelton gets to see them."

"Not until Foxham have had a chance to look at that engine we don't," said Kerke heavily. "I didn't like that start-up at all. This was supposed to be our sightseeing orbit anyway, so lets use it for that." He took hold of the attitude controls and eased _Pioneer 3_ into a slow roll.

* * *

Seanan tipped his head to one side, blinking at the streaks of grey sliding past the capsule window. He moved a little closer, trying to ignore the reflected lights from the instrument panel, peering through the window rather than at it. Then suddenly, perspective twisted and, like seeing the hidden image in an optical illusion for the first time, he found himself looking down at a landscape unlike anything on Kerbin.

"Oh sweet..."

"Craters upon craters upon craters..." Barrie whispered in awe.

"And then some more craters on top of those," said Kerke, "Can't see what else those speckles would be."

"Boulders?" suggested Seanan.

"Kerm - I hope not. Rocks that we can see from orbit are not what we need anywhere near the landing site."

"Hard to tell with the sunlight at this angle," Barrie noted. She squinted out of the window. "Is it just me or are you guys seeing colours down there?"

"Just looks grey to me," said Seanan. "Well, lots of different greys."

"No - I see them too," said Kerke, "Very faint tans and golds and pale pinks. Near the horizon and around the crater edges mainly."

Seanan knocked on the window. "These are pretty thick - they're probably just distorting the view."

Kerke shook his head. "Too subtle for that. Maybe something to do with contrast - I don't know. Kinda pretty though."

The whirring fans and muted gurgles from the depths of the life support systems provided a reassuringly homely backdrop to the stark vista of greys, black and washed out, translucent pastels unrolling beneath them. The three kerbonauts watched the Munar landscape drift past, each of them lost in his or her own thoughts. Occasionally, out of ingrained habit, Kerke scanned the advisory panels in front of the commander's station for warning lights before turning back to the window.

Seanan stirred. "Still not seeing any gold or tan out there," he said quietly, "but I am getting some blue."

A sliver of azure light crested the horizon, swelling rapidly into a gleaming blue hemisphere, streaked and whorled with iridescent white. Reluctantly, Kerke dragged his gaze away and switched on the radio. The crackling static shook Seanan out of his contemplation. He tapped a rapt Barrie on the shoulder on the way back to his couch, managing a credible impersonation of Nelton's clipped tones. "Playtime's over."

Broken fragments of words surfaced from the static as _Pioneer 3_ soared out from the Munar farside. Barrie frowned. "Getting a lot of noise still on high gain one. Switching antennas." She reached forward and clicked a switch on her panel.

"F...ght to...eer 3. Co...in Pione... Fli... to Pioneer 3. Come in Pioneer."

"Pioneer 3, Flight. Receiving you loud and clear on high gain two."

Nelton's reply was drowned out by the storm of cheers in the background. The kerbonauts winced at the heavy thud from the speaker, followed by a muffled voice shouting over the noise. "Copy that, Pioneer - good to have you back."

Kerke grinned. "Good to be on the noisy side of the Mün again, Flight." The grin disappeared. "Please be advised that MOI was off-nominal, we're seeing a three-five-five apoapsis - requesting update for circularisation."

"Say again, Pioneer?"

"We had a hard SME start, Flight. Recovered before we could switch to secondary valves but still gave us an under-burn."

"Understood, Pioneer. Propulsion are on it. Flight dynamics are waiting for the tracking data but we'll get a circularisation update to you once they have a good trajectory fix. Suggest you start the landmark tracking on this orbit whilst we work this, and we'll set up for circularisation on orbit three."

"Sounds good, Flight. Can't say we were paying much attention to the timings on that last orbit but the major craters all seemed to be in the right place."

"You don't want to see the expression on the boss's face right now, Pioneer," Nelton said dryly. "On a different note, CapSys is on-loop and ready with a troubleshooting procedure for high-gain one. Please switch to loop B and stand by."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 2 - Craters**

"Two minutes to loss of signal. Propulsion have got Barkton on the line, working the under-burn with them. Don't worry guys - we'll have an answer for you on the next orbit."

"We know you will," Kerke answered, "Thanks, Flight."

He received a grunt in reply. "Thirty seconds. See you on the next pass, Pioneer."

The radio fuzzed into static. Kerke stared at it for a moment before clicking it off. He looked up at the ripping, tearing noise from across the capsule. Silently, Barrie held up her Kerb Kerman mascot before stowing it under her seat. Kerke opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it.

"They'll work something out," said Seanan quietly.

"Oh, we'll get home," said Kerke. "One of those valve sets should still be good and if they're not, we've got the lander lifeboat drill."

"Not what we had in mind for it though," said Seanan.

"No," Kerke agreed. He shook himself. "Right - if this is gonna be our last orbit, lets make it a good one. Least we can save the next team some camera time. Barrie, give me an attitude check. Seanan - unstow that camera again and get yourself to a window."

* * *

"Say again, Flight?"

"We want you to split the circularisation burn into two. Guidance is standing by with the burn numbers and TKI updates for the next four orbits. You'll fire each half on a different valve set - if both sets are green then the rest of the flight is a Go. One stuck set and we'll bring you home on the next orbit. Two stuck sets and we'll bring you home in the lander lifeboat."

"Mode five if we get a stuck-on?"

"That's affirmative, Pioneer. Better get that lander warmed up and checked out."

"On it, Flight." Seanan pushed away from the window and, with a deft assist from his couch frame, swung down into the equipment storage bay. Bracing himself against a nearby handhold, he took hold of the hatch lever. "Unsealing hatch!"

The lever pivoted smoothly - far more smoothly than Seanan was expecting - and the locking bolts withdrew with a heavy clunk and a brief whoosh of equalising air pressures. "Cabin pressure holding, Seanan. Go ahead."

Seanan lifted the hatch out of the way and poked his head cautiously through the opening. "Woah - better take this feet first. Don't want to kick anything important, squirming around down there." He tucked himself into a ball and slowly spun over in a half somersault, grinning as he extended his legs and slowed his rotation almost to a halt. _Gotta conserve that angular momentum!_ He eased himself forward through the hatchway and then down into another world.

"Okay - I'm in. I see what the Pioneer 2 gang were talking about now - that orientation shift is weird. Those hose clips were a good idea too - wouldn't fancy having them flapping around me."

Seanan shuffled his feet firmly into their restraining straps on the lander floor. Then he bent down and plugged his suit umbilical into its socket. "Okay - ready for my hat and gloves. How's that pressure looking?"

"Holding, Seanan. Catch."

A spacesuit helmet fell slowly towards him through the hatch. Seanan caught it, checked that both gloves were inside and placed it by his feet. A shadow passed over his head, followed by the soft clank of the hatch settling against its stops. First things first. He clicked his microphone on.

"Pioneer 3 to Barrie. Requesting comms check."

"I hear you, Pioneer. How do you read, Flight?"

"Loud and clear, Barrie, Pioneer. Copying no movement on your cabin pressure."

Seanan checked the circuit breaker panel before cautiously flipping a series of switches. Section by section, the instrument panel came to life, indicator lamps lighting up, dials swinging over and electroluminescent panels glowing soft green. He flipped a second set of switches, pausing occasionally to study his checklist. "Okay. Drawing power from main buses. Lander batteries full and trickle charging. Evaporators look good. Bringing up the guidance systems." The computer screen - a duplicate of Barrie's screen up in the crew module - and the keyboard beneath it, both lit up. Seanan tapped out a sequence of commands, watching a row of indicator lights flicker and then settle. "Guidance data transferred from CSM systems. Give me an attitude read please, Barrie." He listened to the string of numbers coming over his headset then tapped a key. "Transfer confirmed and saved. How are we doing for time?"

"Fine" said Kerke, leaning down through the now open hatchway. "RCS checks are scrubbed unless we get the good word from Nelton; environmental and life-support we'll either pick up after circularisation one or catch during the lander separation prep. Time to get that hatch back in place."

"On my way." Seanan extricated himself from the lander systems and carefully kicked off for the hatchway. Emerging into the capsule, he wrestled the hatch into place and heaved the locking lever closed. "Ready for pressure test!"

Kerke reached over to Seanan's side of the instrument panel and flipped a toggle switch. Over his head, two fans started up, blowing a cool, slightly rubbery smelling breeze into the capsule. "Cabin overpressure at 5%...10%...and holding at 15%." He flipped the switch back and the fans fell silent, as Seanan scrambled into his couch beside him. "Okay, Flight - are you seeing this?"

"We are, Pioneer. If the pressure holds, CapSys advises to vent before loss of signal."

"Understood, Flight. Burn program for circularisation one is loaded, readbacks confirmed for circularisation two and TKI updates." Kerke paused. "Looks like we're on the plan, Flight - please pass along our thanks to everyone for sweating the details."

"Copy that, Pioneer - we'd do it all again. CapSys tells me that the cabin pressure is holding but wants to keep an eye on it for a bit longer yet."

* * *

 _Pioneer 3_ sailed silently over the near side of the Mün, the paired spacecraft gleaming in Kerbol's full, unfiltered glare. The geometric simplicity of the capsule and service module contrasted starkly with the boxy, cobbled-together appearance of the Mün lander it was joined to. Four plumes of vapour jetted out from around the join, freezing instantly into sparkling motes that swiftly dissipated in the vacuum. Minutes later, the spacecraft slipped around the curve of the Mün and disappeared.

Alone above the Munar craters, the spacecraft edged into position. Its main engine fired, slowing it fractionally, lowering its orbit. Coded bursts of radio waves flashed across the void as the spacecraft swung around the near side of the Mün, its crew momentarily back in touch with their home planet. Then, once again, it slipped into the shadow of the Mün and disappeared.

Inside the capsule, the crew were silent, strapped stiffly to their couches, eyes fixed on their instruments. A blue light flashed; a green finger pushed a button in response. Exactly fifty-four seconds seconds later flames vented from the spacecraft thrusters and then precisely six seconds after that, valves snapped open allowing volatile liquids to mix and erupt in a fiery torrent. The spacecraft slowed again and the torrent ceased; its end as swift and certain as its beginning.

* * *

"It was beautiful, Flight!" Barrie's exultant voice echoed over the speakers. "Seanan pushes the button, the RCS fires for ullage and then - wham - SME, full thrust, right on schedule, no mess, no stress!"

Nelton decided not to mention the copious amounts of both mess and stress in the Mission Control back rooms. "Copy that, Barrie. We see you at undock attitude - please confirm."

"Confirmed, Flight. The away team are in the lander, we have a good seal on both hatches, RCS and life support systems are Go."

"And comms,"said Kerke cheerfully. "Don't forget the comms."

"And comms," agreed Barrie. "Ship to ship link confirmed, Flight."

"Thank you, Barrie. Lander confirms Go. Propulsion copies, Guidance and FD confirm. Pioneer - you are Go for undocking."

Barrie leaned forward and uncaged a button on the instrument panel. One that was conspicuously set as far away as possible from the other controls. She rested her thumb against it, took a deep breath and pushed. Latches rattled under her feet, accompanied by a flashing orange light on the console. A gentle thud rocked the capsule, the light flickered and then glowed a solid, reassuring green.

"Barrie, Flight. Undock confirmed." She peered out of the rendezvous window above the instrument panel. "Looking good...landing legs deployed!"

"Pioneer, Flight. Spacecraft handling is nominal. Moving to station-keeping distance and standing by for rendezvous radar tests."

One and a half orbits later, Seanan lifted his eyes from the radar display and stared at the inky blackness outside the lander window. Behind him, he knew, Barrie was following them at a safe distance in the capsule and service module. Under his back, a lonely, cratered landscape slid past unseen and far away on the other side of the Mün, Mission Control - and everything else that he had ever known - waited for them. For now it was just himself and Kerke. Two kerbals staring wide-eyed at the rest of the universe from inside their tiny, fragile landing craft.

"How did we ever get out here," he murmured.

Kerke turned to look at him. "You too, huh?"

Seanan nodded slowly. "Yeah." He tapped his chest. "Pillars preserve me; I was a _plumber_. Joined the KIS because building rocket engines looked like fun. Never figured I would end up building actual capsules, never mind watching kerbals fly them into outer space." He gestured over his shoulder. "And now here's me this close to the actual damn Mün!"

"And it's about to get a lot closer," said Kerke quietly. "If it makes any difference, Seanan, I was a pilot before I joined Rockomax. Flew a lot of planes in a lot of places but right now?" He shook his head. "Yeah, I know exactly how you feel." Kerke glanced at the mission timer, then down at the navball. "Spacecraft alignment confirmed. Go, for descent orbit insertion."

"Radar is tracking. You're looking good from here, guys. Good luck."

"Thanks, Barrie. Throttle mode zero. SAS in AUTO. Proceeding at sixty seconds."

"Twenty seconds. Tank pressures nominal, standing by for ullage burn."

"Seven...six...five...RCS firing…three...two...one..."

The descent engine fired.

As soon as it shut down, Seanan turned to the computer and punched in a burn status request.

The two kerbonauts sighed with relief at the numbers that flashed up on the screen. Kerke keyed his microphone. "Okay, Barrie. We're seeing a delta-V of 28.4 metres per second with a new periapsis of eighteen dot five kilometres. Residuals minimal."

"Radar concurs with the delta-V, Kerke. I'll follow you down and firm up the trajectory numbers."

Seanan was busy at his keyboard. "Okay, ditching the CSM data. Landing radar attitude entered and saved. Phasing burn program entered and saved."

Kerke glanced at his sleeve checklist. "Got the CSM altitude matching and circularisation data here. We'll load them in on the second pass once we've dropped the descent stage. Don't want to get our burns mixed up. Okay, let's see what we can see."

Seanan felt the rattle of thruster fire through the hull. The stars slid past, replaced by the cratered Munar surface. The thrusters rattled again as Kerke checked their spin. He stared at the pockmarked surface below, hunting for the first landmark on their list.

"Got them! The Gateway Craters - and right on schedule. Okay, looking for Mount Kelvey - should be coming into view in a couple of minutes."

Up in the crew capsule, Barrie crossed off the landmarks on her checklist as Seanan read them

out. She grinned at the increasingly excited voices from the lander.

"Kerm but we're picking up some speed now!"

"Would you look at those dark speckles round the crater rims Those have got to be rocks - look at the size of those things!"

"Looks like plenty of space between them though. We could set down there if we had to."

"Don't think we packed enough snacks for a surface stay. Oh wow - Bill's Rille sure looks different from down here. Like someone took an axe to the side of the Mün!"

"Woaaaaahhh. What the…!"

"It's fine - it's fine! Just the radar test - computer's got us. Too high to get a ground return but tracking looks good. Okay, landing radar to OFF. Hey, Barrie - any news from Mission Control?"

"Fourteen minutes to acquisition, Kerke. Don't worry - I'll make sure you're patched in."

* * *

Nelton frowned as she caught herself tapping her fingers on the edge of her console. Again. The main screen was still showed the two spacecraft orbiting the Mun together; a status plot which was nearly half an orbit out of date. S _tation-keeping would be acceptable. Better that than...no, don't go there._

"We're getting something, Flight! Broken but definitely telemetry, transmitting on Barrie's frequency!"

"...to Foxh...Co...in Foxham…"

"Flight, Barrie. Reading you loud and clear - what is Pioneer's status?" Nelton swore she could hear the kerbonaut's grin over the air to ground loop.

"Oh, they're doing just fine, Flight. Switching to three-way now."

 _"_ _I got it, Kerke, I got it! Site Two, fat as you like! Kerm - look at_ those _ones - better warn Four not to come in short!"_

Nelton watched a ripple of smiles breaking out around Mission Control at the unbridled enthusiasm in Seanan's voice, although the flight dynamics team looked at each other uneasily. Lemgan caught her eye mouthing "rocks?" at her. She leaned forward and tapped her headset.

"Flight, Pioneer. How's the Mün look from down there?"

"Extraordinary, Flight! Beats the view from orbit all hollow - you can practically count the boulders down there!"

"About that, Pioneer. What's your assessment of the landing sites?"

Kerke spoke up. "Site One was clear in the middle, Flight but we saw a lot of ejecta on the approach. Can't say for certain till we get a look at the camera footage but my eyeball estimate is that the trajectory team could drop an ellipse down there and keep it away from the major craters. Right now, I'd give it a cautious Go. Site Two looks like a scrub - there's a major boulder field in the middle that we didn't pick up from orbit and I don't remember seeing from the Muna maps. The geology team would love us for it on a future landing but I do not recommend it as a site for Pioneer Four."

"That's a decision then," said Nelton. "Thank you, Pioneer."

"We could do a timed overflight on the next orbit, Flight - try and get some better data for the trajectory team?"

"It's good thought but no, Pioneer," said Nelton. "Your priority will be setting up and executing the phasing burn."

"Understood, Flight."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 3 - EVA**

Until the lander passed out of radio contact again, the _Pioneer_ crew treated their flight control team to a non-stop running commentary from the Mün, Kerke's drier, more precisely composed observations interspersing with Seanan's enthusiastic rapid-fire chatter and Barrie's occasional questions. At the flight director's console, Nelton relaxed minutely for the first time since their arrival at the Mün. Once she pointed out that the air to ground loop was being recorded for later analysis, the controllers crammed around the trajectory and science consoles relaxed slightly as well.

As the flight clock ticked away the minutes to reacquisition of signal, the Lander team gathered around their console, rustling flight plans and the smell of stale coffee betraying tense controllers, alert for the first sign of telemetry from the static on their screens. Numbers flickered on their screens, amidst a clutter of fragmented characters.

"Picking up telemetry noise, Flight! Waiting for...and we got them, Flight! Fuel levels consistent with a good burn."

"Copy that, Flight!" said Kerke. "This descent engine is a landing _machine._ Throttling, guidance... all right on target. We're gonna be flying high on this orbit!"

"The engineers will be glad to hear it, Pioneer," replied Nelton. "Flight dynamics have the backup numbers for your altitude matching burn if you're ready for them?"

"Ready and waiting, Flight," said Kerke. "But if they built the ascent engine the same way they built the one underneath it, then I don't think we're going to need them!"

"Let's hope so," said Nelton. "This is the final test, team. Pull this one off and we've got a landing mission."

As _Pioneer 3_ plunged towards the Mün for the third time, one thought ran through hundreds of minds.

Would the ascent engine fire?

It ran through the minds of the engineers who had designed and built the engine. It ran through the minds of the flight controllers tasked with watching over it. Most especially, it ran through the minds of the lone kerbonaut in orbit around the Mün and her two crewmates standing right on top of it.

Seanan took a deep breath.

"Burn programs loaded."

Kerke scanned his navball. "Thirty seconds. Attitude good, correct end pointing towards space."

Barrie didn't bother to reply. The corner of Seanan's mouth twitched briefly as he braced himself as best he could against his foot restraints. Kerke reached forward, hands racing over the controls. "Ascent engine armed! Abort stage... and ignition! Engine firing!"

"Smooth separation and a steady start," Seanan called out. "Mine's a coffee, Barrie... we'll see you soon!"

* * *

"You guys got your hats on?" Barrie checked the air hoses connecting her suit to the bulky life support pack strapped to her back. "What did they call this thing again?"

Seanan locked his helmet onto the collar ring of his own suit and checked his gloves. "The EMU," he said. "Short for Extravehicular Mobility Unit."

"Sounds like some kind of a bird," said Barrie, her voice tinny through the suit radio. "You would think they could come up with something snappier." She pressed a switch on the control box attached to her chest. The backpack started up with a faint gurgle and a stream of cool air blew across the inside of her helmet. "Seems to be working though." She glanced at Kerke and Seanan. "All set?"

"All set," Seanan said.

Kerke nodded. "Depressurising."

Insulated from the cabin noise inside her suit, Barrie watched the pressure gauge drop silently to zero. She reached up and twisted the hatch locking bar, grunting with effort. "Mobility unit my foot." She heaved the hatch open and, checking her tether, pushed her head out of the capsule. Seanan and Kerke watched nervously as she pulled the rest of her body through the opening but her life support backpack slipped out without catching on anything. They heard a sudden intake of breath over the radio and then Barrie's carefully matter-of-fact voice. "Okay, Flight. I'm clear of the hatch. The suit gloves are pretty stiff under vacuum but I can still grip the hand-holds."

"I've got the tether, Flight," said Seanan. "Ready for second-eyes duty."

"Copy that, Pioneer."

Seanan settled himself half-way out of the capsule, holding tightly onto the hatch rim with one hand and onto Barrie's tether with the other. "Tether looks good, Barrie. Ready when you are."

Barrie clambered slowly along the capsule, paused for a moment as she felt for the next foothold, then edged onto the service module. She tucked her fingers under a recess on its curved metal skin and pulled. The access panel dutifully popped open and Barrie reached inside. "Okay, Flight, I have the sat. What next?"

"It should activate automatically, Pioneer. Check for a green light on the base."

"Got it, Flight. You picking up a signal."

"Loud and clear, Pioneer."

Barrie carefully lifted the small spherical device clear of its compartment, being careful not to snag any of its four stub antennas. "Deploying." Grinning inside her helmet, she tossed the satellite away with a gentle underarm throw and watched it tumble slowly away into space.

"Good work, Pioneer. That and the ascent module should let the tracking team get the mascons pinned down before the next flight. How about a couple of holiday pictures to finish the EVA?"

Seanan blinked. _Did she really just...sounds like she's been spending too much time with Gene or Jeb_. He ducked back inside the capsule. "One moment, Flight."

Kerke regarded the rectangular shape on Seanan's couch with amusement and clicked his suit radio over to the crew's private channel."Is that what it looks like?"

"If it looks like a roll of painted cloth held straight with a pair of old car aerials," said Seanan, "then, yes it is. Fiddly too - good thing I opened it before suiting up." He passed the makeshift signboard through the hatch to Barrie, before climbing back out himself. "Up a bit, Barrie, get it pointing over your left shoulder. Bit more. Perfect!" Seanan hastily switched over to the air to ground loop. "Okay, Flight. Here goes with the exterior camera. Let me know if its out of focus."

Nelton froze in her seat. A couple of the flight controllers chuckled briefly then fell silent, drinking in the view.

The cratered grey Munar horizon filled the right hand side of the main screen. In the centre, a spacesuited figure stood boldly atop _Pioneer 3_ 's service module, its mirrored visor gleaming in the sunlight. It appeared to be holding a road sign, arrow pointed over it's shoulder directly at the shining blue and white marble in the background, writing clearly visible to everyone in Mission Control:

 **Kerbin -** **385,000 km**

Nelton stared entranced at the screen. "I should yell at you lot for this but somehow...somehow that just sums up the whole program." She cleared her throat. "I almost hate to say this guys but we've only got thirty minutes before loss of signal. Time to come inside."

The spacecraft circled the Mün for the last time. The boxy remains of the landing craft separated from its mothership with a spurt of ice crystals and drifted away on the barest puff of gas. Thrusters fired, aligning the capsule and its service module for trans-Kerbin injection. They fired again, a longer burst this time, urging sluggish fluids into position. Then, at the appointed moment, the main engine burst into life for the last time, hurling the spacecraft and its crew away from the Mün and onto the long path home.

Barkton Mission Control was packed with, and surrounded by, anxious kerbals listening to the flight updates from Foxham. Geneney sat bolt upright at the flight director's console, jaw clenched, hands crushing the armrests of his chair. Jeb paced back and forth behind him.

"Control to Pioneer 3. Come in Pioneer 3…"

"Control to Pioneer 3. Come in Pioneer 3…"

"Pioneer 3, Control. Reading you loud and clear, standing by for drogues!"

Distant cheering crackled over the speaker, together with snatches of voice chatter from the rescue boats. Geneney's grip relaxed a fraction. _Come on, come on, come on._

"Recovery 1, Control. We see them! We see the capsule!"

"This is Recovery 2. We got all three chutes! Repeat, three chutes deployed!"

Geneney sagged into his chair, a broad smile lighting up his face as the room around him erupted. Jeb squeezed his friend's shoulder briefly, then turned and walked away, picking his way through the exultant crowds. He took a key out of his pocket, unlocked a small door in the corner of the room and slipped through, locking it again behind him. The old iron steps rang underfoot as Jeb climbed up onto the roof. He walked over to the rail and leaned against it, staring out to sea.

Three flights. Three flights that had tested the mettle of spacecraft, crew and Mission Control - and not found them wanting.

It was time.

 _Pioneer 4_ was going to the Mün.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 4 - Commencing Countdown**

A gap appeared in the queue.

The car in front slid across a lane to let the KBS van through, its driver waving cheerfully at the news team as they eased past him. An over-long pennant flopped forlornly over the car roof, twitching in the occasional snatch of breeze to reveal the KIS tilted rocket logo trailing a longer than usual stream of fire. Passengers leaned out of the back windows, raising their drinks in salute. Judging by the colour of the cans, Leland was fairly sure that they weren't drinking sapwood.

He lifted a hand in thanks and drove on through the slowly moving carnival of traffic. The KIS logo fluttered from dozens of cars and vans, along with clusters of grey balloons and an eclectic profusion of homemade flags sporting an equally eclectic range of slogans. "Destination: Mün!" seemed to be a popular choice, closely followed by: "Pioneer 4 - All Systems Go!" Leland snorted with laughter at the "Bring us back a Mün Rock, Jeb!" banner rippling from the roof of an ancient electric bus, that was crammed to bursting with eager kerbals.

By the side of the road, a crowd had gathered around a truck; it's owner cheerfully dispensing drinks and snacks from atop the trailer. Music blared out from a radio and a hastily scrawled cardboard sign declared the truck to be an unofficial mobile launch party. Inspired by this eminently sensible example, other drivers had followed suit and the number of vehicles crawling along the road to the Space Centre was very nearly matched by the number of vehicles parked on the verge. Sunlight twinkled from hundreds of binocular lenses, all trained on the distant rocket standing alone on its launchpad.

Thudding music drifted through the air, growing steadily louder as the KBS van wound its way towards the Space Centre. The closer they got, the more Leland became convinced that the drummer was making a spirited attempt to murder one of the guitarists with his own instrument, or possibly vice-versa. He glanced over at the kerbal sitting in the passenger seat next to him, tapping his feet and nodding his head in time, a distant look on his face.

"We can let you out here if you like, Don?"

Don shook his head. "Sorry? Oh right, the music." He grinned. "They've picked up a trick or two since Moho 1, haven't they? Nah, if we pull over here, you'll never get to the commentary box before the launch. Definitely going to get some interview footage down by the stage though."

Leland swung the van round a bend and pulled up at a pair of heavy bollards blocking the road ahead. He wound down the window and held out a bundle of press passes for inspection by the serious looking kerbal standing by a booth at the side of the road.

"KBS?"

Leland decided not to point out the large logo on the side of his vehicle, contenting himself with a nod and a scrupulously straight face whilst the guard peered in through the back windows at the rest of the KBS team, comparing faces to photographs and ticking off names on his clipboard.

"Hope he lets you through," murmured Don under his breath. "And doesn't ask any questions about the much younger kerbal on your pass." He grunted as Leland elbowed him in the ribs.

The guard walked around to the driver's window and handed the bundle of passes back to Leland, who accepted them with a smile. It was not reciprocated.

"Please keep to the left, sir, and follow the signs for parking area C. The VIP and Press spaces are in the smaller park to the right as you go in."

From the corner of his eye, Leland saw Don open his mouth. "Keep to the left and take a right at the entrance to area C," he said hastily. "Thank you very much." He wound up the window and watched the guard walk back to his booth. The bollards sank smoothly into the road and Leland cautiously edged the van forward.

"So which are we - Press or VIPs?" said Don cheerfully as they drove off

Leland sighed, "It doesn't matter," he replied, "and I don't think our friend by the booth was in a mood to joke about it either."

"No, he didn't seem the type for small talk," said Don, He spotted another, equally officious looking, kerbal standing by the junction, waving them through to the left. "Kerm, they're laying on the security today."

Leland lifted his hand politely to the second guard. "Not surprising," he said, "There's going to be a lot of disappointed kerbals sent back to Barkton to watch the launch on the big screens, and I'd be at least a bit worried that some of those roadside parties are going to get spirited later on." He glanced over his shoulder before swinging the van into the car park."Now where's our… ah, right."

A large KBS logo was painted on the road inside one of the parking bays. Leland drove over to it and switched off the motor.

"Everybody out!"

Don and his camera team began hauling equipment out of the back of the van. Leland pulled a spare headset and a cardboard folder stuffed with notes from the shelf under the dashboard and climbed out of the van.

The kerbal at the Press entrance was no less thorough about checking passes than the roadside guard had been but was considerably more cheerful about it. Leland spotted him surreptitiously tapping his foot in time to the latest drum-and-guitar extravaganza from the entertainment stage, and grinned to himself as Don joined in.

Inside the Space Centre the stands were full to bursting, with long queues stretching back from all the many concession booths. The aromas of grilling meats, spicy vegetable and mushroom skewers and hot _djan_ chips filled the air; carried aloft on ragged blue tendrils of smoke from portable barbecues. The music from the stage played on over a din of excited voices and Leland began to feel the familiar launch day flutters in the pit of his stomach.

The field leading down to the stage was almost as crowded as the stands. Kerblets hurtled past, bumping into everyone, clutching model rockets and trailing large grey balloons behind them on long, brightly coloured ribbons. Near to the KBS team, a kermol couple watched their children playing, patiently holding two of the, temporarily forgotten, balloons. Leland studied them curiously for a moment, then burst out laughing at the familiar mottled pattern of dark and light greys and the prominent flag-of-all-Kerbin, pointing to a spot in the middle of one of the dark grey patches.

"Mün balloons! I like it!" He tapped Don on the shoulder and pointed "Something for your two?"

Don eyed the queues at the Kerlington booth. "If there are any left by the time we're done." he grumbled. Then he grinned, "I'll get one for you too. We can tie it to the van on the way home."

Leland chuckled. "I'd better get to the commentary box," he said. "Make sure you get some decent footage - and try not to spend all your time at the stage."

Don signalled to his camera team, who picked up their equipment. "No promises there!" he said cheerfully. "Enjoy the launch - and try not to lose your voice again."

For a moment, Leland gazed out of the commentary box window, collecting his thoughts, savouring the atmosphere, and taking in the panorama of crowds, futuristic Space Centre buildings and the distant launchpad with its waiting rocket. Then he walked over to the commentary desk, plugged in his headset and, glancing at the single sheet of scribbled notes in his hand, listened intently to the latest update from Mission Control, occasionally underlining a word or two or jotting down additional points.

"Good afternoon everyone. I am Leland Kerman and this is KBS News, broadcasting live from the Barkton Space Centre. We are just ten minutes into the planned countdown hold at T minus thirty minutes, with the flight control team waiting for the expected confirmation of the KDS-4 launch. KDS-4 of course, is carrying the Munar lander together with the rocket stage that will boost it, and the Pioneer 4 capsule and service module - or CSM for short - to the Mün. The countdown to the CSM launch is progressing smoothly, with no other holds reported at this time. This is Leland Kerman at the Barkton Space Centre."

For the next hour, Leland paced up and down the commentary box, listening to the quiet chatter from Mission Control and alternately staring out of the window or relaying such news as he had. Outside, the crowd had quietened, with any kerbal not responsible for kerblets, keeping a watchful eye on the countdown clock. Then, distantly, he heard the long awaited jangle of a telephone.

"Good afternoon to everyone who's just tuned in. I am Leland Kerman and this is KBS news, reporting live from the Barkton Space Centre, for Pioneer 4's historic Munar landing attempt. We have just received confirmation from the Rockomax Crewed Spaceflight Centre that KDS4 has launched successfully and initial indications are that all vehicle systems are functioning nominally. KDS4 consists of the Kerbin departure stage, from which it takes its name, and the Munar lander. Once on orbit and docked to the capsule and service module, the Kerbin departure stage will boost the completed spacecraft out of Kerbin orbit and onwards to the Mün." Leland paused. "This is Leland Kerman at the Barkton Space Centre."

Down on the entertainment stage, a lone kerbal stepped forward and unplugged his guitar from the mass of equipment at his feet. The sound system popped and sputtered before sounding out a quickly strummed scale.

"Alright, Barkton. This is our last song of the afternoon so we're gonna take it down a notch and play you something a little different." The singer stared at his feet for a long moment, then looked up at the immense crowd of kerbals in front of the stage. "As some of you will know, Fire in the Sky have had the great honour and privilege to play at every crewed launch from the Barkton Space Centre since Jebediah Kerman's first journey into space."

The singer settled his guitar strap around his neck. "We wrote this next song especially for this flight and we'd like to dedicate it to the space program and everybody who made that happen. This one is called: 'You Never Know.' "

A single, pure chord rang out over the crowd, followed by another and then yet another. Shorn of all electronic effects, the sweet, deceptively simple melody sparkled in the air like cut glass before the entranced crowd. It spoke of the trackless void between the stars, of being far from home on a winter's night and of the importance of having a hand to hold in the dark.

The drummer picked up her sticks, laying down a muted but insistent percussion line. The bass player picked up the rhythm, adding subtle overtones to the building music. Then the second guitarist stepped up.

The melody shifted up a key and suddenly, the lingering melancholy of the opening bars became a banner defying the night, a symbol of comradeship and a clarion call to the power of hope over adversity, that called on everyone at the Space Centre to never let go of their dreams.

"...you never know till you try. Try to walk - ohhhh they're gonna walk. Gonna walk. Gonna walk on the Mün..."

"Thank you Barkton."

Jeb broke the silence. "Well that was…where on Kerbin did they pull that from?"

"No answer here, Pioneer," Geneney replied, "but Bob is asking me to remind you, and I quote, 'I always told you there was more to those guys than three-chord overdrive.' "

"Well that's fine for him to say," grumbled Jeb, "He's not sitting here all suited up. Do you have any idea how hard it is to blow your nose in a space helmet, Flight?"

"That's an image I didn't need, Pioneer." Geneney paused. "OK, time to get serious, people. KDS4 is on orbit, all systems online and nominal. We're Go for countdown restart at T-minus thirty minutes."

"Copy that, Flight,' Jeb said briskly. "Malmy is standing by for RCS and SME pressurisation."

"T minus six minutes and counting. The pad team is clear and all gantries are at launch stations. Flight Director Geneney Kerman has begun his poll of the flight controllers and we are seeing no further holds as we approach the five minute mark."

Sitting at his desk, Leland fidgeted with his headset microphone, clicking it back and forth on its pivot as he listened intently to the rapid-fire status reports from the flight control team.

"T minus four minutes and counting. The spacecraft is just about to go to internal power and all flight controllers are reporting a Go for launch. From Commander Jebediah Kerman: 'We're feeling fine - tell the band we're gonna give it our best shot.'"

"T minus two minutes and counting. The flight team have transferred power to the booster and everything is looking good. Launch control confirms we have a Go for engine start."

Familiar adrenalin pounded through Leland's veins and his voice began to shake in anticipation. "T minus sixty seconds. Guidance is internal, autosequencer is Go."

"T minus forty. We have a launch commit on Pioneer 4. T minus thirty seconds and counting!"

"T minus twenty…"

"T minus twelve...eleven...ten...nine...eight...

Outside in the Space Centre grounds, all eyes turned towards the launchpad. Fingers pressed earplugs firmly into place; parents lifted kerblets onto their shoulders.

"Seven...six...five...four...three..."

Fire blossomed over the launchpad. Leland surged to his feet.

"Ignition... and liftoff! We have a liftoff!" His voice soared exultantly over the watching crowds. "Twenty-two minutes past the hour and liftoff on Pioneer 4!"

The raw sound from the rocket engines hammered against the commentary box windows, making it difficult to think, let alone talk. Down below he could see even the older kerblets racing around in circles, shrieking with excitement. A roiling inferno of smoke billowed out from the launchpad; from it's centre, the rocket climbed skywards on a painfully bright spear of light.

"Tower clear! Next stop - Mün!"

 _Pioneer 4_ thundered past the launch tower, the river of fire pouring out of its engines still washing over the pad. Leland was dimly aware of somebody shouting "Go! Go! Go!" into his headset but fortunately nobody else seemed to be able to hear it over the noise battering at them. The booster marked twice its own length in flame above the launchpad and then its own length again, the ragged trailing edge of its exhaust plume finally clearing the tower too. Leland watched the rocket accelerate towards the clouds, the incandescent trail behind it curving out over the Great Tranquil Sea; tearing the sky asunder with furious noise and fire.

Leland pushed his headset back into place."Pitch and roll program complete," he said hoarsely, "and dear Kerm above, I've watched every launch from the Barkton Space Centre since Moho 1, but let me tell you - you just never get used to the sheer raw _power_ of those machines."

"Decouplers A through C armed. Go for T20 shutdown and detach."

Aboard _Pioneer 4_ , Jeb struggled to turn his head against the mounting g-forces shoving him into his couch. Squinting out of the corner of his eye, he saw Malmy's finger pointing at the control panel. Three lights winked out on the instrument panel and he just had time to register three muffled bangs far below him before the sudden drop in acceleration flung him forward against his harness.

"Ooof. Flight, Pioneer 4. T20 detach confirmed."

"Copy, Pioneer. We see them gone."

For the first time since lift-off, Jeb allowed himself to relax a fraction and for a moment his thoughts turned faintly melancholy. If Lodan was right, the space program was set to become bigger than even he had ever imagined but the KIS would only be one small part of the whole.

His gaze flickered around the capsule, resting briefly on each of his crew and then returning to the instrument panel in front of them. He snorted to himself in disgust. _Jeb - you're flying to the_ Mün _in a spacecraft in which every last nut, bolt, rivet, bulkhead and circuit board owes its roots to six kerbals working out of the back of a_ junkyard.

 _And nobody will ever be able to take that away from us._

Jeb grinned, melancholy forgotten. Above his head, the altimeter raced past thirty thousand metres.

"We are now just over a minute and a half into the flight. Pioneer 4 is a little over thirty kilometres high, travelling at one point three kilometres per second. Downrange distance from the launchpad is just under twenty eight kilometres."

Outside, the crowd silently waited for the, now traditional, affirmation from Mission Control. Leland glanced at the clock, twisting his headset cord between his fingers. Then, right on schedule, the public address system popped to life, Geneney Kerman's measured tones rolling over the Space Centre.

"Thirty-six kilometres. Pioneer 4 - your trajectory and guidance are Go."

Leland clenched his fists exultantly, the sudden roar from the crowd drowning out any reply from _Pioneer 4._

 _Next stop - Mün. And may they have the strength to follow their course._


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 5 - The Days the World Stood Still**

On the other side of Kerbin, wherever the skies were clear enough, kerbals braved the chilly evening air in their thousands to send _Pioneer 4_ on its way. Observatories offered guided tours and a chance to watch the departure through their telescopes. Professional and amateur astronomers alike offered their services to friends, family or, more often than not, impromptu groups of strangers. Some had telescopes of their own, others watched through binoculars. Those that had neither simply stared up at the sky and crossed their fingers.

 _"Flight, Pioneer 4. Our board is green; requesting telemetry check."_

Jeb's voice crackled out from countless radio sets. Gloved fingers twisted dials, trying to tune out the worst of the static.

 _"_ _Pioneer 4, Flight. We copy your board is green. Stand by."_

The radios fell silent. The sky-watching crowds milled around anxiously, hands tucked under heavy outdoor ponchos, stamping their feet to work some little warmth back into frozen toes.

 _"_ _Telemetry confirmed. Pioneer 4, you are Go for TMI."_

 _"Copy, Flight. Go for TMI. KDS ignition in twelve minutes and counting."_

Older kerbals reached under their clothing to retrieve ornate timepieces from around their necks. Notebooks fell open to well thumbed pages. Astronomers handed out photocopied star maps, identifying constellations, pointing out where _Pioneer 4_ was due to appear in the night sky and occasionally took a map from a confused-looking kerbal, turned it upside down and gently handed it back.

 _"_ _Pioneer 4, Flight. Booster is Go, starting re-press and ullage sequence."_

 _"_ _Copy, Flight. Guidance is Go."_

 _"_ _You're looking good, Pioneer. Thirty seconds."_

Far away from Mission Control, all eyes turned skywards. Binoculars swung up, hunting for the right stars. Telescope owners made last second adjustments to focus and angles with fingers that trembled even inside their gloves.

 _"_ _...three…two…one…Ignition!"_

A new comet burst into view over Kerbin.

Awestruck kerbals shook their companions by the shoulder, pointing wordlessly at the sky. One telescope owner reluctantly lifted her head from the eyepiece and stared up at the sky blinking water out of her eyes. A huge smile lit up her face as she saw the glowing trail pointing the way from the last sliver of setting sun out to the starry skies.

 _"_ _Eight dot two kps. KDS tank pressures holding steady, guidance is nominal. Clear telemetry links through primary and backup channels."_

For several long minutes the crowds watched in wonder, frozen feet all but forgotten. Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the comet vanished.

 _"Ten dot two kps. Ten dot... and shutdown! We're running the numbers, Pioneer but that looks like a good burn."_

In the days that followed, schools across Kerbin sprouted _Pioneer 4_ posters and activity charts from every classroom wall. Final year students - and their teachers - struggled with equations and proudly marked off distances and velocities. The youngest kerblets, with no less pride, coloured in pictures of Kerbin and the Mün and filled in boxes, along stylised flight paths, with the days of the week written in big, careful letters.

Students of all ages, whether Doreni, Wakiran or Kolan, put the finishing touches on model rockets and Mün landers that ran the gamut from lovingly constructed, glue-smeared assemblies of cardboard boxes, empty plastic bottles and tinfoil, to replica spacecraft that, in the words of Ornie Kerman to one delighted, final year class: "you could fill up with fuel and I'd fly it myself."

In the fields and Groves, the surest way for a kermol to make him or herself popular was to bring a portable radio along for the day's work and keep it permanently tuned to KBS Space News. A close-run second way was to bring a spare set of batteries for somebody else's otherwise defunct radio. Lunchtimes saw groups of kermol gathered together, perched on whatever impromptu seat came to hand and listening to the latest news or broadcast from _Pioneer 4_. In the evenings, kerbals stuffed themselves into packed village halls to watch the evening KBS bulletins.

Near a bleak mountain range bordering Firesvar, Wakira and Kolus, a lone soldier set out across the tundra, carrying a pair of fabric wrapped poles. In full view of the border forces of all three Regionalities, he, or possibly she, laid down their weapons, took thirty-seven measured paces and planted both poles in the ground. Before long, two makeshift banners flapped in the wind, one daubed with the flag of all Kerbin and the other with a tilted rocket streaming fire. A gloved hand retrieved a radio from a field pack and presently Leland Kerman's tinny voice drifted over the tundra.

In time, the other sides sent out their own volunteers and they too put down their weapons and sat down beneath the flags. More soldiers came to join them and then still more. One squad rigged up a portable field shelter, another produced water bottles, kettles and camp stoves. Rations were shared out and, regardless of origin, commiserated on by all. One sergeant unearthed a bottle of distilled redfruit juice from his pack and neither his squad mates, nor the suddenly much cheerier kerbals around them, felt inclined to point out the numerous standing orders that he was breaching. Teams were dispatched to fetch additional supplies, tents and, most importantly, extra radios.

Along border after disputed border, kerbals of all Regionalities came together under the twin flags and, for an all too brief handful of days, Kerbin was reunited.

In the towns and cities, enterprising cinema proprietors began running regular 'Mün Matinees' for their customers to watch the latest, often shaky, film footage from space. Queues quickly became legendary with especially keen kerbals bringing sleeping bags and snacks, the better to wait through the night for the first morning show. Kerbals walking to work in the morning treated the queues with tolerant good humour, some making impromptu coffee runs for waiting friends or family, others hastily booking a quick day off and joining the same queue that evening.

Even the drive-in cinemas, long the exclusive haunt of young kerman couples, were as likely to be showing starscapes and spacecraft as the latest date night movie. To the delight of local news outlets everywhere, more than a few young kerman unexpectedly met their future in-laws for the first time at the local outdoor screen, introduced to them by blushing, stammering partners.

At the Capital building, seven huge screens were hastily erected between its rearmost arches, and semi-circles of temporary bleachers set up in front of them. By the second day of _Pioneer 4's_ flight, construction workers and the occasional curious tourist were camped out on the bleachers, watching the latest news from space.

By the end of the third day, the bleachers were full and by the end of the fourth day they were mere islands in a sea of green faces. Those with seats gradually gave them up for the elderly or parents with the youngest kerblets. A handful stayed where they were, unfocused eyes staring unseeing through the crowds. In their minds eye, they too were strapped into a space capsule, Kerbin behind them, Mün to the fore; living vicariously on the very edge of kerballed experience.

Knowing this well, their friends simply smiled understandingly and gently led them away.

On the morning of the fifth day, the crowds watched in astonishment as a troop of kerbals hurried out from a side door and set up a lectern and set of twelve ornate chairs in front of the centre screen. Other discreetly dressed kerbals fanned out through the bleachers, murmuring into radio microphones clipped to their lapels. Then, amidst a sudden hush, the back doors to the Capital building opened and a group of figures emerged. Bowing to the crowds as they went, the Council of Twelve Pillars took their seats and like countless other kerbals across the world they sat in silence.

Watching.

Listening.

Waiting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 6 - The Flag of all Kerbin**

 _Flight Elapsed Time - 4 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes._

 _Munar orbit._

 _On board_ Pioneer 4 _._

"Radar is tracking. You're looking good from here, Pioneer."

"Thanks, Malmy," Jeb replied, "Jondun?"

"Descent orbit initiation and abort phasing burns entered and loaded," said Jondun.

Malmy cleared his throat. "You two take it easy down there, you hear me? Else I'll be getting Gene to yell at you."

"Oh, he'll be way ahead of you there," said Jeb. "We'll be fine, Malmy - see you back here in a few hours."

"Yeah, well, if I have to come and fetch you, I'll be yelling at you too. Good luck guys."

"Thanks, Malmy." Jeb turned to his instruments. "Okay, spacecraft alignment is good. Throttle mode zero, SAS in auto. Go for DOI at T minus sixty."

Jondun scanned her side of the instrument panel. "Attitude confirmed, guidance is green, descent engine is Go. Standing by for ullage burn."

A blue light blinked on above the flight computer screen. Jeb took a deep breath. "Proceeding…RCS firing…ignition in three, two, one…and we're burning!"

Less than a minute later the descent engine shut down again. Jondun promptly punched in a burn status request. "Looking good, Jeb. Periapsis fifteen dot three kilometres - residuals nulling."

The lander juddered to a brief burst of computer controlled thruster fire.

"Residuals nulled. Fifteen kilometre periapsis."

Jeb glanced at his sleeve checklist. "Okay, landmark checks. Time and sighting angle for the Gateway Craters please."

Jondun turned back to the computer. "One second. You want the numbers for Mount Kelvey and Bill's Rille too."

"Yep - might as well get ourselves ahead of the curve."

Geneney flipped a pair of toggles on his console, switching his headset to the private flight controllers loop and patching in the Rockomax crewed spaceflight centre.

"Okay team - this is Gene."

He paused. "This is the big one, people. We've trained hard for it, we've got a great crew up there, a great crew down here and I just want you all to know that I have total confidence in you all. Total confidence that when this is done, I'll be able to look each and every one of you in the eye and we'll _both_ know that we really did something today. " Geneney unclenched his hands. "So let's make it happen."

The flight controllers sat up a little straighter, adjusting their headsets and rechecking their console settings. In the back rooms, the support teams flipped through flight rulebooks, checked their communication loops and cast the occasional swift glance at the flight clock.

"Flight - Comms."

"Go ahead, Comms"

"Acquisition of signal for Malmy, Flight. Picking up telemetry."

"Thank you, Comms. Guidance, CapSys, please review."

"On it, Flight."

"Copy that, Flight."

Geneney toggled his microphone. "Malmy, Flight. Standing by for acquisition on Pioneer. Do you have a status?"

"They're just catching up, Flight. No hitches on descent orbit initiation, crossing all landmarks on schedule - they've been sounding pretty chipper on the way down to the Mün there!"

"Cool, calm and collected, Flight," added Jeb cheerfully. "How's that telemetry looking?"

Despite himself, Geneney grinned. "We're working it, Jeb. Stand by." He clicked his headset back to the flight control loop. "All consoles, give me a Go / NoGo please. FD?"

"FD is Go, Flight."

"Lander?"

"One moment, Flight."

"Copy, Lander. Control?"

"We're Go, Flight!"

"Comms?"

"Go, Flight."

"Thank you, Comms. You ready for me, Lander?"

"Lander is Go, Flight."

Geneney took a deep breath. "Pioneer, Flight. You are Go for Powered Descent."

Jeb couldn't quite keep the excitement out of his voice. "Copy _that_. Alignment check?"

"Alignment is Go, Pioneer. Descent engine ignition at two minutes on my mark... Mark."

Jondun's eyes flicked from the flight computer display to the descent engine readouts and back again. Jeb stared at the computer screen too, finger hovering over the Proceed button. Then the blue light came on.

"Flight, Pioneer. Proceeding at sixty seconds. Descent engine armed."

Jeb swiftly scanned the navball and rate indicators, one hand poised by the attitude hand-controller, the other by the manual ignition button. Beside him, Jondun checked the engine readouts one final time then fixed her gaze on the flight clock. Both kerbonauts felt the sudden burst from the manoeuvring thrusters.

"Ullage burn and three…two…one…Ignition!"

The descent engine rumbled into life, then throttled up to full power. Jondun's hands raced over the controls.

"Flight, Pioneer. Descent engine Go, throttle is in Auto-one. Rendezvous radar to standby, landing radar to auto."

Braking on a plume of fire, _Pioneer 4_ fell towards the Mün, manoeuvring thrusters spitting bursts of flame to keep it on course. Thirteen kilometres above the surface, the little spacecraft rolled upright, the crew's view of grey craters replaced by black skies and the blue marble of Kerbin. Suddenly a high pitched warble filled the cabin, accompanied by a glowing red warning light on the instrument panel.

Jondun slapped the cut-off button. "Master alarm," she said urgently. "Flight - we have negative power-up on the landing radar. Repeat, no power to landing radar."

The response from Mission Control was almost instant. "Copy, Pioneer. Go to manual and cycle your breaker."

Jondun switched off the radar, pulled out the circuit breaker toggle and pushed it back into place, before flipping the radar switch back to its on position. Instantly, the master alarm warbled loudly in their ears. Jeb shot her a concerned look as she hit the cut-off button again.

"Not happening, Flight. What else have you got?"

"Four minutes to pitch-over," said Jeb urgently. "Gonna need a working radar before then, Flight."

"Working it, Pioneer. Stand by."

Jondun stared at the circuit breaker panel, mind racing frantically through schematics and onboard systems. The air to ground loop remained unnervingly quiet.

Jeb gripped the edge of the instrument panel. "We really need a call on that landing radar, Flight!"

Jondun's head snapped up. "Flight - the breakers for both radar systems have the same rating right?"

"One second, Pioneer." Geneney paused. "That's affirmative Pioneer. Lander recommends you…"

"Swap out the breakers for the two radar systems and use CSM radar as a backup for the rendezvous?!"

"Do it, Pioneer."

Jondun leaned forward and pushed the circuit breaker toggle into the panel. Using it as a handle, she twisted its mounting unit a half turn clockwise and lifted the whole unit clear. Swiftly, she slotted the replacement circuit-breaker into place, twisted and pushed…

The warning light blinked off; the computer display flickering for a second as data flooded in from the landing radar. Jondun stowed the broken circuit breaker and hastily tapped out a command. "Flight, Pioneer. We've got a delta-H… and woah, throttling down!"

Pioneer 4 tipped forward, balancing delicately on the thrust from its descent engine. Inside the crew cabin, Jeb watched the Munar surface slide back into view.

"Sighting angle for the landing point please, Jondun."

"Forty degrees, Jeb. One thousand metres."

Jeb cursed under his breath. "That's about what I thought." He keyed his microphone. "Flight, Pioneer. Debris at the landing site - I'm going long." He took hold the attitude controller and eased it back, pitching his spacecraft upright. "Gonna slow my rate of descent…"

"Got it, Jeb," said Jondun calmly. "Seven hundred fifty metres, down ten dot five, horizontal velocity off-scale."

 _"_ _Two hundred fifty metres, down seven."_

Mission Control was utterly silent apart from Jondun's running reports echoing from the main speakers.

 _"_ _Two hundred metres, down six. Slow us up, Jeb."_

Geneney's stomach tightened. "Lander, Flight. Fuel status?"

"Four minutes, Flight."

 _"_ _One hundred fifty metres. Down four, forward twenty."_

Geneney stared grimly at his console. I got you out there, Jeb. Up to you now - nothing more I can do from here. He clicked his microphone. "All consoles - aborts and fuel only."

 _"_ _One hundred metres. Down one dot five. Forward twenty."_

"Okay, cleared the rocks. Slowing us up." Jeb tipped _Pioneer 4_ sharply back and fed extra power to the descent engine.

Jondun's eyes were locked on the computer display. "Seventy metres. Down one, forward five. Fifty metres. Down point seven, forward three."

"Three minutes, Pioneer," Geneney said quietly.

Neither kerbonaut had time to reply. Jeb worked the attitude controller, canting _Pioneer 4_ this way then that, letting the rocket exhaust slow them to a hover.

"Forty metres, down one, forward one. Watch that lateral drift."

"Twenty-five metres. Down point five. Looking good. Fifteen metres. Ten metres…contact!"

Jeb's hand slapped down on the engine stop button. For a second, _Pioneer 4_ dropped away from underneath him and then came to rest with a firm thud. The two kerbonauts waited tensely for a moment then, satisfied that they weren't about to tip over, flashed each other a quick, triumphant grin before starting the post-landing checklist.

"Abort stage override to auto. Descent engine arm off. ATO is in." Jeb paused to savour his next words:

"Flight, this is Pioneer. We are on the Mün. Repeat, we're on the Mün."

For a moment, they couldn't hear anything over the noise from Mission Control. Then Geneney's shaking voice came on the air.

"Copy that, Pioneer - we see you down. Fine flying you both - fine flying."

In the KBS studio, Leland lifted his head out of his hands and blinked at the cameras. He mopped his brow with a sodden handkerchief and summoned up a wan smile before visibly pulling himself together.

"The flight control teams will be working with the crew right now to check over the lander systems. The flight computer is already primed for an abort to orbit, or ATO, ready to get both kerbonauts off the Mün immediately if there are any problems with their spacecraft."

Leland suddenly tapped his headset, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"And there we have it! Flight director Geneney Kerman has just given the crew a Go for the extended stay and surface EVA! They have quite a lot to do before then, so we're going to take a break before bringing you the latest updates from the Barkton Space Centre and the Rockomax Crewed Spaceflight Centre. Then - and I can't believe I'm saying this - in a little over four hours time we'll be going live to the Mün."

On a hundred thousand television screens across Kerbin, white noise and static abruptly gave way to an alien landscape of sharp-edged craters, stark grey plains and a midnight sky. The view shifted, the unseen camera panning past an expanse of crinkled metal foil, before focussing on the foot of a spindly ladder and behind it, the end of a jointed metal leg.

"Mission Control confirms - both kerbonauts are suited up and the hatch is open." Leland's voice rang with barely suppressed excitement. "Commander Jebediah Kerman is on his hands and knees…backing out of the hatchway…and he's on the ladder!"

An orange and grey boot came into sight, followed by a heavily padded spacesuit leg and then the corner of a bulky backpack. Millions of watching kerbals caught their first glimpse of an orange, fabric-clad shoulder and then finally the reflective visor of a spacesuit helmet. Holding firmly on to the ladder rungs, the suited figure paused for a long minute, then took a step back.

Jeb took another cautious step, letting the ground beneath his feet take his full weight before letting go of the ladder and walking out onto the Munar surface.

"And there it is! Jebediah Kerman takes his first steps onto the Mün! We appear to have lost the sound - hopefully that's just a temporary fault with our transmitter and not a problem with any of the spacecraft equipment."

Jeb turned to face the lander hatch, head unseen inside his mirrored helmet. The camera tilted up to follow Jondun's white and grey figure as she too climbed down the ladder and stepped out onto the Mün. She paused for a moment and then bounded away from the lander, camera tracking her as she went.

"And kerbonaut Jondun Kerman joins her commander. We still have no sound at this time but clearly that is not a problem at Mission Control and is not affecting this historic moment."

Jeb retrieved a thin aluminium tube from one of the ladder rails before walking over to join Jondun. Before the puzzled eyes of the world, both kerbonauts turned their backs to the camera…

"Oh my. Would you look at that. Would you just _look_ at that." Leland's voice caught in his throat. On the screen in front of him, two mirrored helmets faced one another across a landscape of grey. An orange glove clasped a white glove. And between them, in the background, the flag of all Kerbin flew proudly above the Munar plains.

The orange suited figure turned towards the camera:

 _"_ _On this day we - voyagers from the planet Kerbin… first set foot upon the Mün. We came in peace for Kerm and kerbal."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 7 - Engines and Engineers**

Thousands waited anxiously by the shore, watching for a glimpse of orange parachute although, in their heart of hearts, they knew there would be nothing to see. Thousands more watched the recovery ship's triumphant return to port, scorched reentry capsule lashed to it's deck. They lined the streets, a clamorous, worshipful multitude jostling for a view of the three Mün voyagers. Three of their own, two of them born and raised in nearby Groves, ordinary kerbals-in-the-street to look at – but only to look at.

Three kerbonauts, hair still damp and smelling faintly of disinfectant, waved at the crowds through their car windows. Although the very idea had been roundly dismissed by most reputable scholars, the persistent fears of something living on the Mün and being brought back to Kerbin had proved hard to dispel. As a result, after a slow tour of the busiest streets, Jeb, Jondun and Malmy were whisked away to the Barkton medical centre for a week under observation, the medical centre staff keeping a close eye on the crowds of well-wishers waiting outside. Amusement turned to surprise which segued into disbelief followed by exasperation as the days dragged on, but eventually the few still remaining were rewarded for their patience. The KIS car drove away leaving behind a group of excited kerbals clutching signed posters and other crowning additions to their collections of space memorabilia.

By the time the car pulled up at the Space Centre, Kerbol was setting behind the Vehicle Assembly Building, casting long shadows over the stands and smaller buildings. Geneney unlocked the museum doors and waved the three kerbonauts inside. He flicked the lights on and stood quietly to one side, letting them take in the refurbished exhibits in their own time.

Jeb's eyes flicked over the first exhibit with it's familar _Kerbal_ and _Moho_ capsules on their stands. Behind them, sets of photographs gleamed in new frames: Bill's original snaps of Kerbin taken from _Kerbal 1_ , Geneney, Wernher and Lucan riding out to the launchpad and the waiting _Kerbal 2_ , photographs of half built capsules and ascending Moho boosters. He smiled faintly at the large 'First Steps to the Unknown' signboard suspended overhead before turning his attention to the second exhibit: 'Working Together in Space.'

There, the _Eve 1_ capsule sat side by side with their borrowed Rockomax docking adaptor, still mounted on its mysteriously acquired dolly and facing an engineering mockup of the Eve docking ring on its stand. Photographs of the _Eve 1_ and _Next Step_ spacecraft joined nose-to-nose in orbit adorned the wall behind them, together with pictures of their crews floating together inside. Spacesuits and other pieces of equipment stood mounted in tall, glass fronted cabinets.

Despite himself, Jeb's chest swelled with pride at the third exhibit: 'To the Mün and Back'. Above the first of three large display boards, a plainly printed banner simply read: 'We, voyagers from the planet Kerbin…' Below it, pictures of the Munar far side taken from the _Muna 2_ probe sat side by side with pictures of Kerbin framed in _Pioneer 1'_ s rendezvous window, and the first pictures of Kerbin rising over the Mün. Next to them, _Pioneer 2_ floated high above the Great Tranquil Sea and Barrie stood atop _Pioneer 3_ 's service module, circling the Mün with Seanan's signpost clutched across her chest.

The second display board labelled: 'First set foot upon the Mün…' showed pictures of himself and Jondun working on the Munar surface arranged around a huge blown-up photograph of the two of them shaking hands in front of the flag of all Kerbin. Then Jeb turned to the third board and a shiver ran down his back. Labelled: 'We came in peace for Kerm and Kerbal' , it didn't have any pictures of space or spacecraft. Instead it was full of kerbals.

Kermol packed into village halls. Winding queues of kerman waiting patiently outside cinemas. A great ocean of green figures surrounding the Capital building and its seven huge screens. The Council of Twelve Pillars themselves, seated in front of one of the screens, watching two space-suited figures walking against a backdrop of grey. And one blurry, pixellated photograph of a group of uniformed kerbals sitting beneath a pair of flags.

"We got that one in the post." Jeb jumped, head snapping round to see a sombre Geneney standing beside him. "Sent anonymously but with a letter inside. Those are Wakiran, Kolan and even Firesvarn soldiers, Jeb. All sitting together waiting for you to come around the Mün after MOI." Geneney swallowed hard. "We came in peace for Kerm and Kerbal. I don't where you pulled that from but it was nothing but the plain truth that day."


End file.
